868 Earliest known printed book, a 16ft scroll of the Diamond Sutra (a Buddhist religious text), created using woodblocks. It was found by Sir Aurel Stein in 1907 in a sealed cave in north west China.

1041 The first system of printing using moveable type components to reproduce a document is invented in China, using type made from hardened glue and clay.

1439German goldsmith Johannes Gutenberg invents the first printing press, developing moveable characters made from a mix of lead, tin and antimony (the same basic components still in use) and a press made of wood.

1472William Caxton sets up the first English printing press. His translation of The Recuyell of the Historyes of Troye is the first book to be printed in the English language.

1803Earl Stanhope introduces the first hand press with an iron frame, which rapidly replaces the wooden press.

1993Digital printing permits books to be typeset and published faster than ever, paving the way for print-on-demand publishing.

2004Google undertakes a project to digitise millions of books from the New York Public Library and the libraries of four major universities. Complete text of books out of copyright and partial text of books still in copyright are made available online.

2007Amazon launches the Kindle, a wireless reading device that can download ebooks, newspapers and magazines.